


The King of Bane

by BarcodeChocobo (Chocoomba)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Blood, Creepy Ardyn, Drugs, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fingerfucking, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Harassment, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-09-23 11:15:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9653993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocoomba/pseuds/BarcodeChocobo
Summary: Prompto had had his doubts in the past, even standing up for the Chancellor and speaking in behalf of him at times when his friends voiced nothing but suspicion regarding the older man and his intentions. Such a fool he felt now. Now, every farce of gentleness from the older man caused his alarms to flare.





	1. Chapter 1

Prompto groaned as he came to. His limbs ached and his throat felt like sandpaper, but it was the flash of a camera that finally roused him from slumber. Still disoriented from sleep, the first thing he noticed was that he had a terrible headache, and that his vision swam precariously before his eyes as he slowly opened them-- and if that wasn’t already a bad way to wake up, it quickly dawned on him that he had no idea where he was. And that he couldn’t move.

He appeared to be in some kind of cell, but the lack of light made it hard to tell; The only light source being a single lightbulb dangling off of a cord connected to the ceiling. Looking down, he saw two sturdy metal bars encircling his chest and waist, keeping him upright. The rest of his body was fastened to some kind of X-shaped metal frame, his limbs arranged into a crucifixion-esque pose.

Another click followed by a flash quickly redirected Prompto’s attention to the corner of the room. His breathing sped up as he finally realized that he wasn’t alone.

“Who's there?!” He asked the contoured figure of a man hiding in the dark; his voice rasped uncomfortably, and he couldn’t quite suppress the stutter. No answer. He added more vigor to his voice and shouted: “Show yourself!” But when only more silence answered his call, he added a meek “...Please?” at the end.

His whole body tensed at the sound of clothes shuffling around shortly followed by the clacking sound of boots hitting steel floor plates, slowly approaching. Maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised, because a part of him already knew who it was, but he still gasped as an unmistakable Ardyn Izunia emerged into the light. The look in his amber eyes as he approached at a measured pace somehow reminded Prompto of a cat toying with its prey, right before it killed it.

“You!” Prompto bit, a jangling sound filled the silence as he uselessly pulled against his iron chains and fetters.

Ardyn took his stand in front of Prompto in silence, and simply removed his hat and held it against his chest before taking a bow that reeked of mockery in front of him. “The one and only. Were you expecting Noct, perhaps? My apologies, but it appears that your handsome prince is in another castle.”

If it was rage or fear that caused his muscles to twitch and his body to tremble so, Prompto wasn’t sure -- perhaps a bit of both -- but whatever it was he didn’t trust his voice not to carry it with it. And he really didn’t want to give Ardyn the upper hand and think that he was afraid of him. So he swallowed the insult that sat on his tongue, and begrudgingly said nothing.

Ardyn acted surprised. “Hm? No commentary?” He put his hat back on his head. “I thought for sure you would enjoy that little reference to evocative media culture. Oh well.” He sighed and patted the pockets of his imperial robe before pulling something out of his left. It was a sandwich, store-bought if the plastic garb and colorful label was anything to go by. “You must be famished,” he said as he unwrapped it and put the plastic back in his pocket. Prompto stared at the food in disgust and refused to open his mouth when it was pushed against his lips.

Ardyn chuckled darkly, but his voice sounded gentle when he spoke again. “Don’t worry, it’s not _poisoned_ if that’s what you’re thinking. No, trust me, if my intention was to kill you...” He gripped Prompto’s jaw hard and squeezed painfully until the boy had no other choice but to open his mouth for him. “... you would already be dead.“

It was humiliating, being fed by the hand of the enemy like some kind of animal; Ardyn’s hand still holding onto his chin in a slackened grip even long after further force proved unnecessary. But, with the current situation in mind, it didn’t make much sense to resist. After the first bite, he realized that he was, in fact, starving. Even though the sandwich itself was stale and dry, and did little to sate his hunger, he swallowed it readily. It made him miss Iggy’s cooking so much it almost brought tears to his eyes.

After he finished, Ardyn finally released his jaw fully, patting Prompto’s cheek twice when he did; muttering something about him being a ‘good boy’ that caused his cheek to redden even further out of humiliation.

His throat was so dry it hurt to breathe, so when Ardyn pulled out a pocket-flask and told him it was water, Prompto decided to take his word for it.

“Feeling better?”

Prompto nodded, reluctantly.

Ardyn hummed his approval. He stepped away and then vanished back into the darker parts of the room to where he had previously been sitting, patiently waiting for his ‘guest’ to wake up. He returned shortly thereafter, holding up a familiar, old-timey camera, and snapped a picture of his prisoner.

“Hey!” Prompto fought against his shackles, immediately recognizing the camera as the one which he had brought with him from Insomnia. “Th-that’s mine!” He barked.

Ardyn lowered the camera but otherwise made no move suggesting he had heard him. Instead, he started scrolling through the pictures which Prompto had taken of himself and his friends during their trip. He smiled at them and said, “I thought kids these days only used their mobile devices to take photos. To see someone like you use such a sophisticated camera like this is… surprising. Although, you do seem to use it in a similarly artless fashion at times. Taking a lot of… oh, what was the name… selfies?” Ardyn kept scrolling as he talked. From his angle, Prompto could barely make out the pictures on the camera screen as Ardyn kept scrolling through every single one of his photos, but he did notice how the older man paused a few seconds longer on all of Prompto’s selfies. It made him incredibly uncomfortable, to say the least, and Prompto just wanted him to stop looking; those pictures were private!

“You’re very talented,” Ardyn said suddenly, after scrolling through his photos for what felt like an eternity despite the fact that only a few minutes had passed. The praise caught Prompto off guard.

“Uhh… Thanks…?” He answered warily. Ardyn finally stopped scrolling through the pictures in order to looked up at him, a deceivingly pleasant smile on his lips that caused Prompto to shrink further back into the metal frame. Prompto had had his doubts in the past, even standing up for the Chancellor and speaking in behalf of him at times when his friends voiced nothing but suspicion regarding the older man and his intentions. Such a fool he felt now. Now, every farce of gentleness from the older man caused his alarms to flare.

“Looks like you had fun on your road trip to Altissia alongside the Prince and his convoy.” Ardyn walked closer to Prompto and held up the camera so that they could both see the screen. It showed a picture of Noctis, Ignis and Gladiolus, in the middle of a fierce battle against imperial soldiers. “It makes sense to me why he brought his Shield and Advisor along with him on a mission of such importance…-” He scrolled to the left and a picture of Prompto, riding on the back of his chocobo, popped up on screen. “-... but why bring along someone like _you_? Was the Prince in such a dire need to satiate his own narcissism that he requested a personal paparazzi to document his journey?”

As Ardyn kept scrolling through his photos, heat crept up into Prompto’s face. He hoped in vain that the Chancellor wouldn’t notice the rather generous amount of photos solely focused on Noctis’ face.

“Or is there something… else?”

Prompto bit his tongue. Keeping his mouth shut had never been one of his strengths, much too eager to talk to anyone giving him the time of day. This, however, was obviously different. And if it was information about Noctis that Ardyn demanded, he would rather die -- trying to ignore how much that thought really scared him.

After a moment of awkward silence following his question, Ardyn spoke up once again.

“You know... ” He clicked his tongue. “This is going to be a _painfully_ long and boring time for the both of us if you refuse to accommodate me.”

“I’m not here to entertain you!” Prompto let slip before he could stop himself.

Ardyn let out a low chuckle. “I believe I’ll be the judge of that.” Although he tried not to show it too much just yet, he was thoroughly enjoying watching the sweet boy slowly but surely coming apart at the seams.

Prompto glared at his adversary. If Ardyn wanted to talk, he could handle that. His current predicament could have led to much worse things being done to him-- and still might, he gulped. He figured that maybe if he kept the man busy with casual conversation, he could stall for time for his friends to find him. He just had to be careful.

He took a deep breath to help keep his voice steady. “Fine... Where are we?” He asked. The question was innocent enough not to make it too obvious that he really just wanted to steer the conversation away from Noctis, but it was also a legitimate concern he had.

A wide smile formed on the Chancellor’s lips. “Home,” he said simply.

Prompto raised an eyebrow in confusion at that answer. “You live _here_?” He looked around the room but saw nothing that suggested it was anything other than a prison of sorts.

“Oh, no, no, no. Not _my_ home, sweet child. But _yours_ ,” he explained, lightly squeezing the younger man’s nose like one would a child in a display of mock affection. For a second Prompto wasn’t sure what disturbed him the most: Ardyn trying to convince him that this prison-like place was somehow his home, or the older man’s continuous act of friendliness that was completely unwarranted and _way_ too close for comfort.

He inched away from the Chancellor even further, if possible. “The _hell_ are you talking about?!” He barked, disliking the direction of this conversation already, yet his curiosity got the better of him.

“Oh, don’t play dumb, Prompto. It’s unbecoming of you.” He scolded. “You don’t expect me to believe you weren’t aware of the fact that you’re not a child of Lucis?”

The look of shock was all the answer Ardyn needed. Finally, he was starting to get the boy exactly where he wanted him.

“Do you realize it now, where we are? I should’ve given you ample hints for a guess at least.”

Prompto worried his bottom lip between his teeth and whispered: “...Nifleheim.”

“Good boy,” the Chancellor crooned, clapping his hands in a condescending manner. “Oh, I can’t wait to see Noct’s face when he finds out, his best friend was a _traitor_ all along.”

The pallor of Prompto’s skin paled a few shades. Suddenly, being at the mercy of their biggest enemy wasn’t what scared him the most anymore. “N-no… ” He croaked. “I’m not… I’m not like them.”

“Aren’t you now?”

The older man strode over to stand closer to Prompto’s right arm before grabbing him around the wrist. He hooked one finger in-between his bracelet and his wrist. Ardyn thought to himself then, that throughout thousands of years, that look of absolute _horror_ in Prompto’s eyes was one of the most beautiful spectacles he had ever had the pleasure of witnessing, as he yanked hard on the leather band until it snapped in two.

“Your wrist says otherwise,” he said, a mischievous smile playing at his lips as he stroke along the barcode imprinted in the boy’s skin with his thumb. It was already red and scarred, as if the boy had tried and failed to scrape off the markings several times in the past.

Truly pitiful.

He felt the wrist beneath his hand begin to tremble in his grasp. Prompto’s head hung heavy between his shoulder, the bangs of his hair shielding his eyes from view. He looked like a defeated man if Ardyn had ever seen one. And he had seen many in his years.

“What do you want?” Prompto’s voice was dark and full of threat when he spoke. Something appeared to have snapped when Ardyn unveiled his true identity to them both, his happy facade was crumbling.

Ardyn couldn’t help but smile.

“For now, just a little chat. One daemon to another,” he said and flashed him a toothy grin, although the gesture went unnoticed as the boy refused to look at him.

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

“Awww, come now, don’t be like that,” he purred. When Ardyn tried to hook his finger around Prompto’s chin and pull his head back up to look at him, Prompto had finally had enough. He snapped at the offending finger and bit hard.

The closed fist that connected with his temple nearly knocked him unconscious. His dizziness from earlier returned with vigor, his eyes blurred from unshed tears and black spots danced in front of his vision. His mouth filled up with blood. He spit it at the floor and then coughed up even more.

Ardyn tutted at him like one would a disobedient child. “Have you never heard of the saying, _‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you?’_ ” He said with a hint of laughter in his tone. Seemingly completely unperturbed of the fact that he had just been bitten, he grabbed Prompto’s face once again and turned it towards him, more assertive this time.

Prompto refrained from retaliating this time, not wanting to get hit again, but he did jerk out of his grip and pull away from the older man’s grabby hands as far as he could and roared: “Don’t touch me!”

Something darkened in Ardyn’s eyes then, but it was gone again so fast, Prompto wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.

The older man sighed dramatically. “I feel obligated to warn you. You should not attempt to command me in that way.” As he spoke, Ardyn removed one of his gloves. “You see, I’ve always been a bit of a _rebel_ at heart and when you tell me that, for example, you don’t want me to touch you…” Prompto let out an undignified shriek when Ardyn promptly, and without warning, shoved his ungloved hand up Prompto’s shirt and splayed his palm over the blond’s naked chest and held it there. “... It just makes me want to touch you _more_.”

Prompto breathed so fast and panicked, he thought he would start hyperventilating. Things had suddenly gone from bad to worse. His heart was racing in his chest, and something told him that Ardyn felt that too.

He wanted to apologize, if only because he hoped that would clear some distance between them again. Aside from touching him, he _really_ didn’t like how up and close the older man had gotten to him; the warmth of his breath against his neck causing the hairs on his arms to stand.

“I-I… I’m…-” Prompto stumbled over his own words, trying to think of something, _anything_ , that would make the man go away.

Ardyn’s golden eyes were gleaming, and entirely focused on Prompto’s face, while Prompto’s attention was more distracted with the older man’s hand, slowly moving down his body. When his hand had travelled past the soft curvature of his abdomen, stopping just as it entered the hem of his pants, Ardyn leaned in close and whispered into Prompto’s ear: “You and Noct will _never_ have your happy ending. But why, my dear, would you settle for a prince when _I_ can show you what a True King of Lucis tastes like.”

Prompto’s mind went blank when he felt wet lips peck small kisses along his jaw. And suddenly, lips that had no business even touching him captured his own and kissed him deep. He let it happen. Not because he wanted to but because no matter how much he tried to will himself to move, to retaliate, _to bite down on that slimy tongue that forced its way down his throat uninvited_ , his body would not listen. He forgot how to breathe.

When Ardyn finally released his lips, Prompto was shaking and involuntarily gasped for air and heaved repeatedly to try and catch his breath.

Ardyn shushed him, stroking his fingers through his blond hair lovingly with one hand while using the other to hold Prompto’s head up and force him to look at him as he kept struggling for air. “You keep your biting shenanigans to yourself, and I will care for you as if you were my queen.”

Prompto wanted to tell him to that he could shove his “care” where the sun don’t shine, but as he tried to find his voice, only pathetic little noises and broken syllables came forth his sullied mouth.

It didn’t make matters any better that Ardyn decided to press yet another kiss to his lips. At least this one was quick and superficial.

He stepped back, looking the still breathless boy up and down as he did. Pleased with what he saw.

He took another mock bow. “Pardon me, but I have to set the stage,” he declared without further explanation. The iron bars parted ways for him as walked towards the open doorway on the other side. Whatever laid through there, Prompto could only guess for now, as all he could see past it was thick darkness.

Just before Ardyn left, he turned towards Prompto one last time. A sinister smile playing on his lips as their eyes met. “Try not to miss me _too_ much.”

And then he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay!! Before anything else, I just want to say thank you all SO much for your lovely reviews and kudos! I'm actually kinda shy, so I might not always reply to reviews but please know that I appreciate every single one of them all the same. <3 I've read them all and I couldn't help but notice a consensus wanting me to continue this story.
> 
> Well, ask and you shall receive.
> 
> I originally posted this story as a one-shot but I'll admit that it was intentionally left on an open-ended note as I wasn't sure if I was confident enough in my ability to write a longer story. But, I already had some ideas to build upon in the event that I decided to continue this, and I believe that I have enough material to juice this story for another couple of chapters or so. I hope that they will not disappoint.
> 
> Tags will be added periodically and rating may go up as things... escalate.
> 
> I'm on the highway to hell. Care to join me in sin, my brethren?

The forsaken laboratory situated in the Imperial capital of Gralea was dark and ghastly quiet. It was a commodious building, installed with a myriad of rooms, cells, offices, two canteens and even sleeping quarters for employees who had dedicated their entire life to this facility-- all of which was connected through an extensive net of hallways. At the very top of the building, there was a grandiose, and rather luxurious suite assigned to Ardyn Izunia; a thank you gift for his contributions towards the expansion of the Empire’s army, allowing Magitek Infantry to become a reality.  
  
Yet, despite having a much more agreeable accommodation at his disposal, Ardyn found himself spending most of his time in the building’s surveillance room. He sat slouched in one of the room’s comfy, black chairs, with his feet resting leisurely on top of the desk in front of him. The electronic blue light beaming from dozens of screens, each revealing the current state of a different room, casting long shadows behind him. The only sound in the room was the whirring, mechanical cacophony of a printing machine, hooked up to Prompto’s camera through an USB cable.  
  
Ardyn’s eyes scanned over the footage of the different cameras before landing on the one positioned within Prompto’s cage. Unsurprisingly, the boy hadn’t moved from where he had left him. If he had, it would have been much more interesting to watch.  
  
There was no doubt in his mind that his kidnapping of Prompto had elicited the Prince’s full attention, and that he was hot on his trails to find his ‘friend’. Especially seeing as Ardyn had been so kind as to personally deliver directions to him -- not trusting the incompetent Prince to succeed in his endeavor without his guidance. He’d give the young Prince a few days at best, based on their current location. If that was enough time given for him to finish all of his preparations, it didn’t matter. Time had never been a concern of his.  
  
If he needed a few more days, another week, a _month_ , to make sure that his dear friend was in proper _shambles_ when Noct arrived, that could easily be arranged. But, seeing as he had already managed to put quite a bit of fear into the little gunman, he doubted that more than a few days would be necessary to break him. But mostly, he doubted that he would be able to last much longer than that.  
  
Off to the side, the printer went silent as it finished printing out a selection of photos stored on Prompto’s camera. Ardyn rolled his chair over and took the photo laying at the top of the short stack into his hand. He looked it over using the light from the security camera screens. It was one of the photos Ardyn had taken himself, its motif portraying the boy in question lying on the floor with his hands tied behind his back, Ardyn’s own scarf used as a makeshift muzzle. Prompto had been unconscious at the time so the bonds served no real purpose, the get-up intended for Noct’s eyes alone.  
  
He would surely need to capture more after he’d added some more varying coloration to the boy’s pale skin. If the pictures would ever come to use was yet to see, but he figured that adding yet another leverage over Noctis into his arsenal could never hurt. Well, not _him_ , at least.  
  
He picked up another picture and looked at it, this one taken after he had secured the younger man to the metal frame from where he still hung helplessly. The ambivalent sigh he let out soon mingled with the rest of the silence.  
  
This was not part of the plan, but something about Prompto’s boyish good looks and humorous charm had captivated him somewhat.  
  
Without any of them realizing, Ardyn had followed the Prince and his posse since the moment they had stepped outside of the Crown City. He had watched them as they fought side-by-side, aiding strangers for a buck or two, and eavesdropped on their private conversations as they camped; only making his appearance in front of them in order to make sure that the Prince kept following the trail of breadcrumbs he had already laid out for him.  
  
Needless to say, he was unimpressed with the Prince’s presentation. Just another lazy _Caelum_ child, spoilt rotten by servants and luxury since birth. Unfit to be considered royalty and even less a King. Why the Astrals should assign _him_ as the role of the ‘Chosen King’ when he had done nothing for humanity, while Ardyn had spent his entire mortal life trying to save it only to end up as ‘The Accursed’, would forever be an unsolvable conundrum for him. But alas, that was a very, _very_ long time ago. There was no love left in his heart for humanity or the world which had ostracized him. They would both burn in Ifrit’s hellfire when he was finished with them.  
  
Lately, he had found more comfort with the daemons than he had ever with humans anyways. Ironic seeing as they were technically one and the same.  
  
Perhaps that is what had ultimately drawn him to Prompto: Another human being harboring daemons from within without turning into a mindless beast. A lack of quality that had marked him as a failure once upon a time.  
  
Movement in the corner of his eye reverted Ardyn’s attention back to the screen that had Prompto still up on display. Almost as if the boy had sensed his reveries of him, the boy was pulling uselessly at his bonds. A wicked smile pulled at Ardyn’s lips.  
  
A few hours had passed and the boy was bound to be in need of more sustenance by now. Seemed as good a reason as any to make another appearance.  


* * *

  
  
“-If the sky that we look upon

Should tumble and fall

And the mountain should crumble to the sea

I won't cry, I won't cry

No I won't shed a tear

Just as long as you stand, stand by me…-”  
  
It was nigh impossible to tell how much time had passed in the cell; there was no clock on the wall that he could see and there certainly weren’t any windows to let on what time of day it was. As his fatigue, anxiety and (perhaps most of all) _boredom_ ate away at his psyche, Prompto had at some point began singing to himself in an attempt to cheer himself up. It was way more fun of a distraction than just counting the seconds trickling by.  
  
Every now and then he would pull at his fetters, clench and release his fists to try and keep the blood flowing through his limbs. Being stuck in the same position for such a long duration of time was starting to get _unbearably_ uncomfortable, his whole body protesting against the inactivity. He didn’t know how long Ardyn had been gone, a few hours at best, but he was so hungry by now that he wasn’t sure whether to be happy that the man had granted him some space, or annoyed that he hadn’t returned yet to feed him. He figured that he would, eventually. Ardyn had given him enough reason to believe that he wouldn’t abandon him here to starve to death. But then again, Prompto thought in horror, the Chancellor was a fickle man.  
  
Prompto shook his head in an attempt to physically dispel his thoughts and stop them from moving into a dangerous place in his mind as he thought of the Chancellor. Messing with Prompto’s head was exactly what the man wanted, and he refused to let him have that. Especially seeing as the man in question wasn’t even present.  
  
Instead, he allowed his mind to stray to his friends, or more specifically: Ignis and Gladiolus. He considered them both to be stronger and more intelligent than he was, and couldn’t help but wonder what they would have done in this situation. Both of them had more or less been raised from birth with the purpose of serving the royal family and assist the current heir, Prince Noctis, along his path. And he knew that the two of them had been in training for this mission long before Prompto had even entered the picture, and he couldn’t help but wonder if… this kind of thing… had ever been part of that training. ‘Torture’ was the word he was looking for, he knew, but just thinking it caused his breathing to hitch anxiously.  
  
“-Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me

Oh, now, now, stand by me

Oh, stand by me, stand by me, stand by me…-”  
  
He tried to picture either one of him being in his current position but found that he couldn’t. He just couldn’t bring himself to even imagine any of his friends taking his place right now, as the one being at the mercy of their worst enemy. In a bittersweet kind of way, he felt a sort of relief over the fact that it was him, and not somebody else, who had been kidnapped. The others had already suffered enough throughout their journey. Gladio had added to his collection of scars; Ignis had lost his vision; and Noct, he… he lost _everything_. The only one who hadn’t suffered yet was him, and he supposed that this how he would have to compensate for that.  
  
His singing ceased as he reached the end of his song.  
  
Whatever happened, he owed it to his friends to survive this.  
  
It was then his stomach decided to growl loudly, and as if on cue, faint footsteps could be heard echoing off of the walls from the hallway across the room.  
  
The breath caught in his throat. A part of him couldn’t quench the hope that it would be Noctis to turn the corner. Or Ignis. Or even Gladio... But he would come to be disappointed.  
  
“Hungry, are we?” The complacent tone of Ardyn’s voice plucked his nerves like guitar strings as he emerged into the light. Despite his best effort not to, he tensed immediately as the older man opened up the iron barred doors and made to stand in front of him. The sense of familiarity to how similar their positions was in this situation to the one before caused Prompto’s cheeks to heat in embarrassment and he looked away, trying to look at anything but the Chancellor right in front of him.  
  
“No!” He stuttered, just to be stubborn seeing as they both knew that to be untrue. His lie even further enunciated by his stomach, letting out another loud growl in disagreement. “... Okay, maybe just a little… ” He caved.  
  
Ardyn merely chuckled at his antics. “Well, that’s just unfortunate. I didn’t bring you anything this time.” He apologized, yet there was nothing in his face suggesting he was sorry over that fact.  
  
“Oh...” As soon as he said it, Prompto winced at himself for letting on how disappointed he was.  
  
Ardyn scratched his chin thoughtfully before he then added: “But, in that case, would you care to join me for dinner?”  
  
That, Prompto had not expected.  
  
“W-what?!” He squawked unintelligently.  
  
“You would have to come with me to my private quarters. Think you can handle a bit of a walk?” Ardyn said and gestured towards the hallway he had just come from.  
  
Prompto couldn’t believe his ears. “You’ll… let me down and… walk around?”  
  
“Under my careful supervision of course. Unless you’d rather stay here-”  
  
“No! … No. I would like to get down from here. Very much, actually,” he all but pleaded. He longed to be able to move his arms and legs freely again, and with that freedom he wouldn’t be nearly as defenseless any more. In theory, at least.  
  
A faux look of glee passed over Ardyn’s face. “As you wish,” he said, and snapped his fingers.  
  
An electronic beep sounded from somewhere behind him, and then the bonds around his limbs and abdomen opened all at once with a clattering sound. It all happened so quickly. Prompto gasped as gravity ruthlessly pulled him towards the ground. He didn’t quite manage to catch himself, and ended up hitting his head on the floor. “Ow!” He hissed in pain; his nose, cheek and forehead throbbing unpleasantly.  
  
“A heads-up would’ve been nice...” He groused quietly to himself as he slowly pushed himself up onto his knees with shaking arms. The sensation of pins and needles coursing through his wrists and legs as they came back to life. As he sat back on his haunches, he couldn’t help but notice the Chancellor towering over him. He looked so incredibly tall from down there, even though he couldn’t have been much taller than Gladio was. His gaze trailed up long legs, up a broad bust, before immediately reverting back to stare at the man’s shoes instead just as their eyes met. Realizing that he hadn’t been the only one to stare.  
  
Ardyn raised an eyebrow at him, a shrewd smirk on lips. “Well? Are you coming or not?” He asked, holding out a hand in invitation.  
  
Prompto just nodded silently. Ignoring the offered hand, he pushed himself up onto his feet; his eyes still glued to the Chancellor’s intricate, lacquer shoes that looked like they had cost a fortune in and of itself.  
  
He took a deep breath to try and steel his nerves.  
  
Ardyn retreated his hand as it was rejected and then turned to leave, expecting Prompto to follow him. “Off we go, then. Follow me and keep up. I won’t stand for any straggling.”  
  
The moment Ardyn turned his back to him, Prompto took a fighting stance and immediately summoned his gun.  
  
… Or rather, he attempted to. He flicked his wrist several times, his finger positioned on an imaginary trigger, waiting for the gun to appear into his hand.  
  
But nothing came.  
  
“Looking for this?” Ardyn’s voice was dark and heavy as he swung back around to face him; Prompto’s gun held firmly in his grasp and pointed it at its previous owner’s forehead menacingly. An unimpressed, pregnant look in his eyes and a cocky grin on his lips. Prompto raised both of his hands up in surrender as he stared down the barrel of his own gun.  
  
He laughed nervously and took a cautious step back, trying to think of an excuse. Mentally cursing the older man for somehow always being at least three steps ahead of him. “No, I… I just thought that... - I mean, I was… just…-”  
  
“Missing your toys?” Ardyn filled in for him. With practiced ease, he switched off the safety with a flick of his finger. The resounding click sounding much louder than it should have to Prompto’s ears.  
  
Ardyn did nothing but watch him squirm for a moment, finding a particular satisfaction in seeing the boy’s Adam’s apple bob apprehensively as he so obviously feared for his own life.  
  
Eventually, though, he lowered the gun. And Prompto let out an audible breath that he hadn’t realized he had been holding.  
  
“Here,” Ardyn said suddenly. He flipped the gun around using only one hand so that he held it by the barrel and offered it to the gunman. “I believe this belongs to you.”  
  
Saying that Prompto was _shocked_ was an understatement. He glared at the weapon in Ardyn’s outstretched hand as if he had never seen anything like it in his life. The fact that he had no idea what the Chancellor was thinking scared him more than he would’ve liked to admit. And he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being set up for a trap.  
  
“It’s a gun. You pull the little trigger underneath and it goes ‘bang’,” Ardyn quipped when Prompto did nothing but gawk at his ‘gift’.  
  
“I know what a gun is!”  
  
“Marvelous. Then may I suggest that you take it, before I change my mind.”  
  
He hesitated. Prompto had come to learn the hard way that Ardyn never did anything without an ulterior motive in mind. There was a catch to this, he _knew_ there was. And he feared that not knowing what it was would come to cost him his own life.  
  
He took a deep breath and pushed past his fears and plucked the gun out of the Chancellor’s hand. The familiar weight in his hand more comforting than a teddy bear. He subconsciously straightened his stance as he aimed the gun at Ardyn, just like the he had aimed it at Prompto moments earlier.  
  
“What is your game, man? Why did you give me this?!” He demanded, some of his confidence returning now that he had regained his weapon.  
  
Ardyn tilted his head to the side, an almost apologetic look on his face that Prompto wasn’t falling for. “Must there always be some sort of game involved?”  
  
“When _you’re_ involved? _Yes!_ ”  
  
He chuckled. “Didn’t realise that you were so _intimately_ familiar with my ways already. And here I thought we didn’t get to spend enough time together,” he teased and took one step forward, causing Prompto to take one step back and tighten the grip on his gun in response.  
  
“I think you should know that I already took the liberty to empty your gun’s magazine; with the exception of one bullet that is, which I saved especially for _you_.” He took another step forward. Prompto stepped one back. “Of course, you could choose to shoot me with it… but I hardly recommend that. No, I have another proposal for you, if you please.”  
  
Prompto swallowed as Ardyn’s eyes hardened -- his trembling finger never straying from the trigger-- and his voice grew deep and grave as he captured Prompto’s glare with his own.  
  
“I won’t lie to you, Prompto,” he said. “Things will only grow _darker_ from here on out. Even if you manage to escape me, things will never be the same as they were before. And sometimes, _death_ can be a blessing. One that you shouldn’t take for granted.”  
  
Prompto’s eyes widened as Ardyn’s implication dawned on him. “You’re… You’re _sick!_ If you think that you can make me _kill myself..._ then you’ve got another think coming.”  
  
“Oh, don’t be so dogmatic,” Ardyn scolded. ”I’m presenting you with an opportunity. It may even be your only option left for you to escape me.” That last bit, if anything, startled Prompto; the poor boy’s face like an open book to Ardyn, just begging to be translated. “I’ll admit that I brought you here in order to act as bait for our dear Prince Noctis. But, as fate would have it, it appears that I may have made a mistake...” He paused, allowing this new set of information to settle in Prompto’s mind before he added, as a final coup de grace: “He’s not coming for you.”  
  
“You’re lying.” The newfound shaking of his hand belied the resolve in Prompto’s voice.  
  
This was almost too easy.  
  
“I have long since your capture disclosed your exact location to the Prince and yet… It would seem the young monarch did not care to heed my directions at all. Last I checked, he was on his way back to Altissia, in the opposite direction.”  
  
“You’re lying!!” And he was. Just a few white lies to stir up some more inner turmoil within the boy, and to tear at his relationship with Noctis from the inside.  
  
The Chancellor took one more step forward, and Prompto’s back hit the wall as he tried to back away further. Ardyn placed both of his hands on either side of the boy’s head, successfully trapping him between the wall and himself; the gun still in the boy’s hand poking him in the chest, perfectly aligned with his still beating heart.  
  
“But... if you don’t _want_ to take me up on my gracious proposition… Then I’m practically handing you the victory on a silver platter here, aren’t I?” He leaned in closer. “Unless… You _want_ me to stay alive?”  
  
“Mmf!” Prompto panicked as Ardyn forcefully pressed his lips against his own. His heart hammering against his ribcage. He pulled the trigger. The loud bang seemed to ricochet off the walls and caused his ears to buzz for several seconds.  
  
He whimpered as the full weight of the older man fell against him and flattened him against the wall, Ardyn’s head resting listlessly on Prompto’s shoulder. He was sweaty and out of breath due to the adrenaline still rushing through his body, but for a moment his chest swelled with pride as he thought to himself that he had finally done it. He had _won_.  
  
Before allowing himself to regain his composure and fully digest what had just happened, he was hit with an intense desire to get out of this place, find his friends again and share the good news with them. Pushing with everything he had, he struggled to try and move the dead man off him. He was much heavier than he would have expected.  
  
He shrieked as a large hand shot out and grabbed him by the wrist and twisted it, _hard_. The gun slipped from his grasp, tumbling forebodingly to the ground. Another hand clutched around his neck and squeezed until he couldn’t breathe. The head resting on his shoulder raised from the dead. Ardyn moved in close enough for his lips to caress the shell of Prompto’s ear and whispered into it huskily: ”You will pay _dearly_ for that mistake.”  
  
Prompto’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He tried to say something but all he could could do was choke awkwardly on his own vocal cords.  
  
Ardyn pulled back just far enough to look him in the eye; the biggest, most shit-eating grin he had ever seen donned on the man’s face. A dazzling golden hue in his eyes that Prompto could have sworn hadn’t there before.

“Ah, how silly of me.” The older man slapped his forehead playfully. “Did I neglect to mention that I’m immortal?” He laughed merrily, as if he had just shared a funny story. Except that his recipient wasn’t laughing. Prompto was _terrified.  
  
_ “And here I thought we had an understanding, you and me.” Prompto gasped for air and coughed as his throat was released, only to have his chin grabbed in a tight grip and maneuvered to face his adversary. “Here I am, being gentle as a lamb and inviting you to dine with me... And as soon as I turn my back you immediately go in for the stab. I should punish you for such boorish behaviour.”  
  
Prompto had stood before death’s door before -- during battles, or that one time when he had been hit by a car when he was younger, but the gut-wrenching fear he felt right then was nothing compared to that.  
  
He knew that the Chancellor was speaking to him, but not a single one of his words registered in his brain. All he could think about was how he couldn’t die. Not here. Not now… Not like this. Despite what Ardyn had told him, Prompto still believed that Noctis would come for him. And until then, his only option left was to stall for time.  
  
At a total loss for what else to do, Prompto opted to beg. “... Please... don’t kill me...” He croaked pitifully. His throat as dry as his eyes were damp.  
  
There was no answer at first, giving off the impression that the Chancellor was silently considering the boy’s request for mercy. In reality, he was drinking in the boy’s disheveled appearance. After all, Prompto looked the most beautiful to him like this: drenched in fear and his own misery. The only thing missing was the wet trails of tears to make him truly gorgeous.  
  
Ardyn smiled and finally said: “How could I ever say no to a pretty face like that?” He released the boy’s chin and instead grabbed his face between both of his hands. Prompto flinched but didn’t otherwise resist his touch.  
  
“Oh, Prompto… I would never kill you.” He traced the boy’s trembling bottom lip with his thumb. “You have my word.”  
  
His empty promise did nothing to dismiss Prompto’s obvious distress.  
  
“And do not fret,” Ardyn continued, his voice eerily calm as he spoke. “You may have offended me but I shan't neglect your needs. You _will_ dine with me tonight. But, after this act of betrayal, I hope you can understand my aversion to leaving you to your own devices.”  
  
There was a jingling sound as the Chancellor pulled something out of his pocket. As Prompto turned his head to try and see what it was the older man had just procured, his gaze was quickly and forcibly disengaged and redirected to once again face the older man.  
  
“Don’t. Move. An inch,” Ardyn commanded him, adding weight to every syllable. Prompto swallowed anxiously as he obeyed.  
  
He felt something thin and coarse, a strap of sorts, loop around his neck. Ardyn pulled the strap tight enough to cause the boy to gasp uncomfortably.  
  
“There we go,” Ardyn exclaimed and tugged on the leash experimentally as he took a few steps back and watched as Prompto stumbled after him. He couldn’t help but grin at how well the leather collar suited the boy along with the rest of his dark, punk-ish attire. “Now I’ll always know exactly where you are.”  
  
Prompto gaped wordlessly at the leather strap tethering him to Ardyn’s hand. And although he did not voice his complaint, the odd convenience of the man just _happening_ to have such an item in his possession was not lost on him. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve claimed that Ardyn had _planned_ for it to come down to this from the very start. That thought alone sent shivers down his spine.  
  
He shut his eyes tight and tried to think of happy thoughts.  
  
_Gladio, Iggy… Noct…_ _Please hurry up and find me!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry. For more reasons than one.
> 
> I went through hell and back writing this (Satan says "Hi", btw), trying to get it 'right'. And then I got stuck in an endless loop of re-writing and self-editing and now I've reached the point where I just kinda wanna... release it into the wild and then run for the hills before it drives me insane.
> 
> If any of the warnings bothers you, now is an excellent time to nope out. This will be my first and ONLY warning.
> 
> ... Still with me? Cool. Then you're a reader after my own heart.

  
Prompto dragged his feet as he trudged behind his chaperone. His shoulders sagged, arms crossed over his chest; subconsciously trying to make himself as small as possible. His mind played back Ardyn’s promise to _‘make him pay’_ on repeat, and part of him wished that the older man would just hurt him and get it over with. The fear incited by the promise of pain much more torturous than the actual beating would be. Or so he told himself.  
  
Every now and then, his fingers would reach up to fidget with the collar tightened around his neck. It was itchy, already chafing against his skin and made it uncomfortable to swallow. More than once he’d ran his fingers along the leather band, looking for a way to unclasp it, but it was locked to his neck with a key which, undoubtedly, was currently in Ardyn’s possession. The prospects of him escaping on his own looked grim for the time being.  
  
Ardyn, on the other hand, kept his gait placid as he walked tall next to Prompto. Even humming softly to himself-- a tune which Prompto was very well-acquainted with yet sounded alien to him when sung by the Chancellor.  
  
As the pair trekked through a maze of dark and eerie corridors, Prompto kept as much distance between himself and Ardyn as the older man would allow. If he strayed too far from his side, he was pulled back with a harsh jerk on the leash without fail. A few steps behind, the man didn’t seem to mind too much.  
  
He visibly jumped when Ardyn abruptly broke the silence to ask him a question, “Say, what sort of music do you prefer?”  
  
“Wh-what?” Prompto stammered. “... Why?”  
  
“Just making conversation. No need to be so apprehensive.” Although Prompto couldn’t see his face, he could practically hear the sneer through Ardyn’s tone.  
  
“Er… I guess, I kinda like… rock music?”  
  
Ardyn hummed in understanding. “Never been too keen on that genre myself. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer the classics.”  
  
Prompto was about to comment that he didn’t recall ever asking, but kept it to himself. Giving the man lip probably wasn’t in his best interest right now.  
  
Rationally, maybe it would have made sense for Prompto to prefer it when Ardyn was acting friendly towards him, but in all truth… _he didn’t_. It was much easier for him to keep his guard up when the man was being threatening. At least then he knew what to expect.  
  
The pair crossed a metal bridge and stepped onto a circular platform, approaching the oval elevator located at its heart.  
  
When they stopped in front of a keypad, Ardyn turned towards Prompto expectantly and said: “You may go ahead and open the doors for us.”  
  
Prompto looked at Ardyn with a puzzled expression. “Huh?! Me? But, I...” He gave the keypad a once-over, confirming that he had never seen one like it before. “I don’t know how.”  
  
Without warning, Ardyn seized the boy’s right wrist. There wasn't any real ferocity behind it, but the unwarranted physical contact still made Prompto’s heart jump into his throat.  
  
A conveyor belt of loud protests rolled off his tongue as he tugged at his captured limb. Summoning strength he didn’t know he still had, he kicked with his feet against the floor. But the Chancellor pulled his wrist to the keypad without so much as breaking a sweat. He held it against the scanner until they both heard a resonant _bleep_ . Once the elevator doors opened, he released the captive wrist. Causing the boy tumble backwards and land square on his ass with an unhappy groan.  
  
Ardyn turned to look at him, the smug smile on his face contradicting the questioning raise of his eyebrow. “Now, was that so hard?” He asked, his tone condescending.  
  
For once, Prompto paid the ridicule no mind. His focus shifted between the open elevator doors and the barcode on his wrist before fixating on the latter. He didn’t know his barcode could open doors, or that it had any practical use whatsoever, for that matter.  
  
… Of all the places in the world, why could it do that _here_?  
  
“We’ve already been through this once before, but lest you’ve forgotten, allow me to refresh your memory: This…-” Ardyn gestured broadly, his voice booming off the walls of the massive hall. “-... is your true home.” For the first time since they’d left his cell, Prompto met Ardyn’s amber eyes; eyebrows knitted together in undisguised bewilderment. “Oh, you poor child,” Ardyn continued as he looked back with eyes of pity. “Don’t you have _any_ idea of who you are?”  
  
“I don’t understand...” Prompto said, but it came out more as a whisper.  
  
“Not to worry-- _you will_. When the time is ripe for it,” Ardyn answered cryptically.  
  
Prompto’s attention strayed back to the barcode tattooed on his skin. It was no secret to him that the underlying context of the branding was something abominable, enough that he should feel ashamed for having it on his person, and that it somehow tied his birth to Niflheim. But that was the only knowledge regarding his own heritage that his Lucian parents had ever been willing to part with. How it connected him to this… decidedly creepy facility, he had no idea. And, though admittedly curious, part of him wondered if he really wanted to know in the first place.  
  
He covered the mark with his hand, feeling grossly naked and exposed without his wristband.  
  
Two sharp yanks on the leash told Prompto that he’d been sitting on the floor for too long. He wiped the dust off the back of his pants as he stood back up. This was not the time nor place for introspection.  
  
Ardyn smiled haughtily at him and gestured for Prompto to enter the elevator first. “Shall we?”  
  
Prompto shot the Chancellor a leery look but went inside dutifully. As he walked past, Ardyn smacked Prompto’s rear and gave his buttocks a hearty squeeze. The younger man yelped and leapt the rest of way inside the elevator. Feeling a sudden urgency to protect his behind, he turned quickly and positioned himself so that his back was against the wall.  
  
“What the hell?! _Don’t do that!_ ” Prompto snarled at the man, but the warning lost most of its steam when he couldn’t keep his voice from cracking.  
  
His face turned beet red when the Chancellor laughed at him, amused by the boy’s reaction.  
  
“Oh, relax. It certainly put a spring into your step.” Ardyn raised both of his hands in wordless resignation as he entered the elevator himself, as if that would somehow prove that he had no more tricks up his sleeve.  
  
The older man made his way to stand next to Prompto, but the boy immediately bolted to stand on the opposite side as he approached.  
  
Ardyn chuckled. “You’re far too tense. You should loosen up a bit.”  
  
He set the elevator into motion with the press of a button. And the doors closed with a bang.  
  
Prompto pressed his back against the wall, as far away from the other man as he could manage. Watching him cautiously through the corner of his eye. Ardyn wasn’t doing anything in particular to elicit any suspicion; he was leaning casually against the wall, minding his own business for once, but the man’s presence alone was overwhelming. Especially as Prompto became acutely aware of the tightly enclosed space they had to share during their ride to the top floor.  
  
Suddenly, a familiar tune played throughout the elevator, cutting right through the tension like a sharpened knife with its upbeat melody. Prompto recognized the song immediately. It was the chocobo theme song.  
  
The sound raised in volume as Ardyn fished a jet black cellphone out of the left pocket of his robe. _Prompto’s_ cellphone. He allowed the tune to keep playing for a few seconds as he glared at the screen, before cutting it off without answering the call.  
  
“Who… who was that?” Prompto couldn’t help but ask. He could count on one hand the number of people who knew his phone number, and his heart hammered in his chest at the thought of one of them trying to contact him. It brought him some well-needed comfort and hope back into his soul.  
  
It didn’t take long for Ardyn to trample on his new-found optimism. “No one you need concern yourself with,” he said simply, and put the phone back into his pocket.  
  
Prompto was about to protest when a feminine, robotic voice announced their arrival at the top floor.  
  
The hallway that revealed itself looked different from the ones below, resembling more of an apartment complex rather than a dungeon-like setting. Although the hallway was long, there were only three doors. Prompto read the names engraved on each as he passed them by. The first door was assigned to Emperor Aldercapt; The second door, he didn’t initially recognize the name on, but the sign read: ‘Verstael Besithia - _Imperial Research Minister_ ’; And the third and last door, unsurprisingly, belonged to Ardyn Izunia - _Chancellor of Niflheim_.  
  
“Ah, here we are,” the Chancellor announced as he pushed the door open. He urged Prompto inside with a gentle push to the small of the young man’s back before entering the room himself. Locking the door behind them.  
  
The fanciest hotel room Prompto had ever stayed at in his life was at the royal suite in Leville, and that room paled remarkably in comparison to _this_. It was nothing like Prompto had expected it to look like, and he found himself nailed to the floor as he took everything in, baffled.  
  
The suite was huge, at least twice as spacious as the one in Leville, and lavishly decorated with ornate, Victorian-esque furniture and baroque art clad in golden frames hanging off the walls, each rich down to even the tiniest of details. Plush rugs and silk drapes with intricate patterns dyed into the cloth, and a plethora of superfluous embellishments; It was like everything was hand-picked with the sole purpose to flaunt the owner’s wealth and superiority.  
  
Although the room wasn’t divided by any walls, there was a compartment in the middle that served as the living room; it had a wine-colored sofa with two arm chairs encircling a coffee table with a wooden top placed in front of an unlit fireplace-- either side of it lined with rows upon rows of bookshelves filled with hardcovers and antiques. Behind the living room, a King-sized bed with crimson sheets was positioned alongside the wall; on the bedside table, a camera stood out among the rest of the furnishing like a sore thumb. Then there was a kitchen in the back all clad in black, and a small dining area next to it with a table set up for two in front of a wide, floor-length window.  
  
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Ardyn declared as he walked past him, gesturing widely to the entire room. He stopped and spun back around to face his guest before he added: “Judging by your reaction, I presume it’s to your satisfaction.”  
  
“Yeah, it’s…-” Prompto cleared his throat. “-it’s alright, I guess,” he answered, trying to sound unimpressed but not quite succeeding.  
  
“There’s no need to be nervous. Since I personally invited you, you are hereby my honoured guest,” Ardyn said and took a modest bow before him.  
  
Prompto eyed him skeptically. His eyes trailed the leash attached to his neck down to where it was still held in Ardyn’s firm grip. “Yeah… Somehow, I don’t believe that,” he scoffed.  
  
“Oh well.” The Chancellor shrugged dismissively. “If you’d rather be my prisoner, then who am I to argue.” He brought the boy over to the dining area and ordered him to stay put while he went off to get the food.    
  
The view from the window gave Prompto slight vertigo but served as a nice distraction as he was left alone. It was nice to see the outside again. Rain pitter-pattered against the glass, the sky dark and deep with dusk. In the distance, a metropolitan city could be seen which Prompto assumed to be central Niflheim, if its billowing skirt of mist was any telltale. He leaned in closer as his gaze searched the ground below, hoping to find some useful landmarks.  
  
On his way to the kitchen, Ardyn took a detour in order to tether the end of the leash to his bedpost. The strap long enough to lay slack on the floor and out of the way.  
  
He threw a glance at the boy still by the windows.  
  
“Refrain from touching the window panes, if you please. They’re clean and I’d prefer to keep them that way,” he said.  
  
Prompto, whose palms were just about to touch against the glass, immediately fell back when told. But not completely. As soon as Ardyn turned his back, he swiftly poked the window, leaving a single fingerprint on the polished glass. It was an immature and microscopic victory, but it actually made him feel a bit better.  
  
When Ardyn returned, carrying a serving tray covered by a silver lid, Prompto was surprised to find The Chancellor not wearing his trademark robe and scarf anymore. At some point, the man had folded them both over the back of the sofa. Although his one-button vest and dress shirt with frills still looked incredibly garish (Especially in comparison to Prompto’s own fashion), it was the first time Prompto had ever seen the man garbed so casually.  
  
Ardyn took a seat on his side of the table and gave Prompto a curt command to do the same.  
  
And Prompto would have done just that. There was only one problem.  
  
“Umm… There’s no chair on my side. Where am I supposed to sit?”  
  
The Chancellor leaned back in his chair, spread his legs and patted his thigh twice; holding out his arms in an unspoken invitation.  
  
Prompto’s face contorted into one of pure disgust and he took a cautious step back. “You can’t be serious right now...”  
  
The laughter that followed sounded less cruel in nature than he’d heard from him before, but it still sent a chill through his body.  
  
“Oh, don’t give me that look. It was merely a jest,” Ardyn assured him. Everything from his laid-back posture to the expression on his face oozing with undisputed arrogance. “I just wanted to see how far you were willing to go in order to humor me.”  
  
He made Prompto take a sidestep as he walked past him to retrieve a second chair. Setting the chair down in front of him, he motioned for Prompto to take a seat. It took a few seconds for the boy to work up the courage, but once he sat down, Ardyn pushed in his chair for him before returning to his own seat.  
  
If the table was set with the purpose of making Prompto feel ill at ease, it succeeded dramatically. Just like everything else in the room, the table setup was much fancier than Prompto had anticipated; Expensive-looking china plates, its brim meticulously patterned with flowers painted with gold, crystal glasses already filled with red wine, and at least eight pieces of cutlery -- three forks, three knifes and two spoons -- in varying sizes set on either side were all neatly arranged on top of layered linen cloths of white and red.  
  
He’d never felt so intimidated by tableware before.  
  
“Dinner is served,” Ardyn announced as he removed the tray’s silver lid, a thin veil of steam gushing out the sides. Beneath, there was a long row of delicately cut tenderloin steaks accompanied by a decorative salad of bell peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, asparagus and toasted pecans. On the side, there was a small heap of fried potatoes, as well as a stylish sauce boat in silver with a creamy, lightish brown sauce in it.  
  
Before Prompto was even given the chance of having a second choice, Ardyn took the liberty to serve him a decent portion, evenly distributed between all of the dishes, onto his plate.  
  
It took all of the boy’s willpower not to forget everything and just dig in. The food looked absolutely divine from where Prompto was sitting and it smelled even better. All of it seemed so nice.  
  
_Too_ nice.  
  
Back in highschool, Noctis had sometimes treated him to restaurants or nice things that he otherwise could never afford, but not even his best friend had ever treated him to something of this caliber. And not because he lacked the finances to.  
  
“I suggest that you eat before it gets cold,” Ardyn said when Prompto hesitated for a little too long.  
  
Prompto answered with a narrowed look full of suspicion through the bangs of his hair that had fallen over his eyes.  
  
The Chancellor leaned forwards, his elbows resting on the table and his chin on folded hands; giving the appearance that he was about to suggest a business proposal. “If you haven’t yet noticed, we’re eating from the same tray. If you end up being poisoned, or anything of the like, then so would I.”  
  
“... Says the _immortal_ ,” Prompto grumped.  
  
The older man chuckled. “Fair enough. You got me there. Unfortunately, my immortality does not extend into any kind of immunity to sickness.” He grabbed his knife and fork and took a bite out of his own steak demonstratively. Prompto remained unconvinced. “But, by all means,” Ardyn went on. “You’re most welcome to simply sit there and keep me company, if that’s what you’d prefer. Just know that there would be no gain in it for me to cater a corpse.”  
  
“... Really now?”  
  
The Chancellor placed one hand over his own heart and said with grace: “On my honor.”  
  
Prompto licked his dry lips before worrying his bottom one between his teeth as he considered his options. His head ached. His stomach screamed for nourishment, he was dying for a glass of water, and part of him worried that, if he turned down the meal now, there wouldn’t be another. He had no idea how far away Noctis and the others were, or if they would come for him at all. But if they did, he wouldn’t want to be found as a cumbering bag of bones. Besides, last time Ardyn had offered him food and drink, nothing strange had come of it. Not the food itself, at least.  
  
He groaned in defeat and reached for his fork, but didn’t take it. Instead, his hand hovered above the three different forks in indecision.  
  
“The silverware closest to your plate are the most appropriate choice for eating meat,” Ardyn explained helpfully.  
  
“I knew that,” Prompto lied and grabbed the aforementioned knife and fork.  
  
“I’m certain you did, my dear.” Ardyn’s voice dripped with sarcasm, making Prompto feel even smaller than he did before. He felt so dumb and shabby. And he wasn’t even sure why because why should he care what _Ardyn_ thought of him to begin with. Why couldn’t the man just have ordered him a pizza or something.  
  
Once Prompto started eating, he found it difficult to stop. He hadn’t had a proper meal for days, even before the kidnapping, his diet having consisted primarily of cup noodles and various snacks since Altissia.  
  
With little grace he stuffed his face, but refused to touch his wine.  
  
Ardyn, of course, noticed this. The Chancellor took another sip from his own glass of wine and asked: “Aren’t you going to drink?”  
  
Prompto swallowed the food in his mouth. “I don’t drink alcohol,” he lied.  
  
A lone burgundy colored eyebrow raised at that statement. “Oh, really?” Ardyn’s expression twisted into a charming smile. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Dehydration is a far bigger threat to your health than starvation, and that _just_ won’t do. Allow me to fetch you a glass of water, instead.”  
  
“Oh, o-okay,” Prompto said as he watched Ardyn go back into the kitchen. He hadn’t expected the man to be so… courteous. He offered quiet thanks when the man retrieved him a glass of tapwater for him and quenched some of his thirst with three hefty gulps.  
  
With food and water in his system, Prompto was feeling much better. Albeit still wary about anything that had the Chancellor’s involvement in it, he was feeling considerably more relaxed than before. Even a little daring. He was steadfast in his resolve to escape the man -- with or without Noctis’ help -- and he wondered if he could somehow take advantage of this rare moment of calm.  
  
He glanced at Ardyn while scratching at his wrist since he didn’t have a wristband anymore to fidget with. “Hey… could I… ask you something?”  
  
“Anything your heart desires.”  
  
“Uuh… alright. ” He gulped and took a moment to consider how to properly formulate his question before he finally asked, “How does one become someone like you?”  
  
“I’m afraid, you’re going to have to be a bit more specific. Someone like me, how exactly?”  
  
“Pure evil?” Prompto suggested, causing the older man to laugh.  
  
“‘ _Evil’_ is subjective to the individual, I would say.”  
  
“Right, sorry, I just… I just don’t get you. Like, at all.”  
  
“And you wish to?”  
  
He hesitated before he admitted, “I don’t know...”  
  
Ardyn hummed and scratched at his stubble thoughtfully. “Well then, as a prerequisite, allow me to ask _you_ a question first.” He picked up his glass of wine and held it up between two fingers. His gaze fixated to the ceiling light caught on its brim, glinting in and out as he slowly turned the glass left and right with his thumb. A dark look entered his eyes as he asked: “Have you ever had it all, only to have the rug swept from under your feet by your own flesh and blood?”  
  
“No, can’t say that I have...”  
  
“Not an uncommon tale by any means when aristocratic families are concerned, I’m afraid. Where titles precedes blood.” He took a long sip of his wine. “I was born with a certain responsibility that came with my last name. A burden which ended up sullying that name for evermore, and utterly destroy my reputation. With a little help from one of my father’s bastards, of course,” he scoffed. “But… c’est la vie, mon cher.” He swigged the last drops of wine from his glass and then poured himself another. The look he gave Prompto was unlike any of the ones he’d seen before. It looked weary, and old. And his usual smile was bitter. “Did you get any of that?”  
  
Prompto didn’t answer at first, he didn’t know what to say. His descriptions were vague and summarized, but it was obvious to him that Ardyn came from a world that he couldn’t even begin to comprehend, so far away from his own reality. Sure, his friends were nobles, even royalty, but that didn’t mean he could relate to their lifestyle or upbringing any more than anyone else of common birth. All that he’d picked up through their friendship was that it must be rough. Noctis rarely complained (or rather, when he did, it was mostly through dry sarcasm and not so much whining) about his princely duties, or his strained relationship with his father due to his political position, but it was plain for everyone to see that he was suffering.  
  
“Well, kinda...” He finally answered, “I mean, I can’t really relate… And I didn’t really understand that last part, but… it sounds awful. I’ve always thought that one of the worst things you could do to a person is judge them based on something we can’t possibly change about ourselves. Like one's family, or something innate like skin tone, or what sex you were born, or… _where_ you were born. It’s just so unfair. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone… I guess, not even you.”  
  
“How sweet of you.” Ardyn fixed Prompto with a desirous look, but by the time the boy looked back up, it was gone.  
  
“Um… One more question?” The boy asked. Seeing as Ardyn appeared to be in such a sharing mood, he figured he should take advantage. If the Chancellor wanted to tell stories then there was one in particular he was dying to hear.  
  
“Ask away.”  
  
Prompto took a deep breath and exhaled sharply before he said: “Alright… so I know that I’m probably gonna regret asking this, but... h-how much do you know about me?”  
  
_Ah, curiosity killed the cat, indeed,_ thought Ardyn, but offered him a disarming smile. “More than you or your little friends, it would appear.”  
  
“L-like what?”  
  
“Well, to name a few examples,” he began as he leaned back in his chair. “Let’s see here… I know that you were born here, in this facility. I know that you were then whisked away from here when you were a wee three years old and wound up within the walls of Insomnia, where you then befriended our dear Prince Noctis. You attended the same school, I believe. I know your Lucian guardians were mostly absent during your upbringing. Ah, and I know that you’re the only one left in your group of friends who has yet to be deflowered.”  
  
Prompto nearly choked on his drink. “Woah- _woah_ \- _WHAT?!”_ He croaked. “ _No, I’m not!_ ” Heat crept up his neck and gathered in his cheeks, making his freckles more pronounced than ever before.  
  
Yep. There’s the regret he was expecting.  
  
“Oh? Do tell.”  
  
“ _Hell no!_ ”  
  
“Ah, so you _are_ a virgin, then.”  
  
“No! Bu-... I-...” Prompto sputtered. He knew that he should stop talking. He knew that he should just let it go. He _knew_ that Ardyn was getting a kick out of seeing his reaction. And yet, his male pride -- something deeply rooted into his psyche since childhood -- just wouldn’t allow such an accusation to go unanswered. “Fine _,_ ” he shot. “Not that it’s any of your business, but… Kelly...”  
  
“Kelly?” Ardyn repeated. His smile barely faltered.  
  
“... Yes, Kelly. My first girlfriend. Happy now?”  
  
“And does this young woman have a last name?”  
  
“Yeah, of course, it’s...” He scratched the back of his neck. “... Crow.”  
  
Ardyn grinned crookedly at him. “Aaah, I see. Well, I’m pleased to hear miss Crow had prior relationships to that horrid little bird mascot for the Crow’s Nest. Although, I must say that I find her affinity for men having reminiscent appearances to birds a tad disquieting.”  
  
Prompto sunk so far down his chair he nearly vanished under the table. “I was… kinda hoping you wouldn’t know that...”  
  
Ardyn chuckled at him. “I know more than you ever will in a lifetime. But please, do keep try to outwit me. It amuses me endlessly.”  
  
“Greeeat… It’s all I’m good at, apparently,” the boy groused. He gulped down the rest of his water just to have an excuse to hold something in front of his face. He didn’t feel like bringing up the subject again so he kept his silence after that and was pleased when Ardyn did the same. Part of him even wanted to go back to his cell. Talking with Ardyn had left him feeling exhausted.  
  
His fingers shook, but Prompto blamed that on his less than stable nerves. He sat up straight and tried to impale a tomato onto his fork but somehow managed to miss it twice. And then thrice.  
  
There wasn’t much food left on Prompto’s plate: one steak, two bell peppers, and a half-eaten…-- his eyes snapped open just as his forehead was about to hit the tablecloth. Which was odd, seeing as he didn’t remember closing them. He sat back up and looked to Ardyn, but the man didn’t seem to have noticed.  
  
He rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands and grabbed his fork again. But as he tried to eat, the fork kept slipping out of his grip -- he just couldn’t grasp it hard enough. There wasn’t enough strength left in his fingers.  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
“I… I need to use the bathroom,” Prompto excused himself, his words coming out slurred. The fact that he didn’t know where the bathroom was never entered his mind. His legs shook like leaves as he pushed himself out of his seat, and he barely took one step before he stumbled and fell down on his knees.  
  
Ardyn took a long, calculated sip of his wine before he asked, unperturbed, “Having issues?”  
  
Prompto struggled to get back up on his feet, using the table as leverage. But his limbs felt like they were filling with lead and his muscles had the strength of rubber bands. He wasn’t getting anywhere fast.  
  
“In need of a helping hand?” Ardyn continued to taunt him.  
  
He glared at the older man. It was like time was gradually slowing down as his thoughts got more and more muddled, and he struggled to put them into words. “Y-you… what did… you… you _promised_ ...” He pressed through clenched teeth.  
  
Ardyn finished his drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes never straying from the boy still struggling at his feet. “It’s really rather sweet how little it takes for you to trust someone; A pledge, a few kind gestures, and a tale of woe...”  
  
He picked Prompto off the floor as if he was a ragdoll and pulled him into his lap, ignoring the boy’s protests as he did.  
  
“I hope you realize that you only have yourself to blame for this.” He cupped Prompto’s chin and held it upright, it kept slipping down. Shedding the boy of his vest with his other hand, he let it fall to the floor. “Hadn’t you forgone the wine, you’d been blissfully unconscious by now. This sedative is much more potent when mixed with alcohol.”  
  
Prompto closed his fist and swung it at the Chancellor’s face. The ‘punch’ so weak it was barely even worth the mention. Ardyn caught the hand easily and placed a teasing kiss on the knuckles.  
  
“What say you we move on to dessert?" He asked, and pinned Prompto with a sultry look through heavy-lidded eyes. His voice as deep and dark as the night. “Oh, and for your little escape attempt in the morning: you’ll find the key to my door in the upper-left drawer of my dresser. Of course…-” He laughed briefly. “-... The only reason I’m indulging you with such invaluable information is because I know you won’t remember it come morning.”  
  
“Y-you… ba… st...”  
  
“Ah, ah, ah. Don’t waste your breath, my dear. You’ll need it shortly.”  
  
And he wasn’t lying. Prompto felt like his lungs were tied taut with rope, breathing heavily but never getting enough air. Little droplets of sweat ran down his forehead as he fought against himself. Every part of him felt like it weighed a metric ton, yet Ardyn carried him so easily. It wasn’t fair. With every intake of breath there was a whiff of old spices, something flowery, and hints of tobacco, as he was pressed up against the Chancellor’s neck. The smell made Prompto’s stomach twist and turn uncomfortably.  
  
When Ardyn gently laid him down on his bed and sat down next to him, Prompto’s efforts doubled in force. But it didn’t make much of a difference. He groaned and wheezed and panted harshly as he used all of his remaining strength to try and push off the bed, but all he managed to do was arch his back awkwardly.  
  
Ardyn didn’t seem to be any hurry, and that made even it worse. It only helped fortify how truly helpless he was. The older man unbuttoned his vest and folded it neatly on top of his nightstand before doing the same with his dress shirt. All the while, he was humming to himself that familiar tune again, the one that Prompto used to love. _The chocobo theme song_ .  
  
He removed his boots, but kept his pants still on, and laid down on his side while leaning on one arm, facing Prompto.  
  
“You poor, poor boy,” he said and smoothed out a few strands of Prompto’s hair that had slicked to the side of his face, “I do hope that you won’t take what I’m about to do _too_ personally. My vendetta was never with you, after all. So don’t go blaming _me_ for this.” He grabbed the back of the boy’s head and pushed their foreheads together, staring straight into his eyes, deep and profound, as he said, huskily: “Blame the selfish Prince for falling for you.” Had there ever been any semblance of kindness in the man’s voice, it was nowhere to be found now.  
  
Prompto swallowed hard against the lump in his throat.  
  
“Oh, if only it wasn’t for that _pesky_ engagement with Lady Lunafreya, maybe he could’ve pursued you. Like he so obviously wanted to.” Prompto sucked in his stomach when a warm hand landed on it, travelling up his abdomen, all the way up his chest, bringing his shirt up with it. “Young men and their hormones. It’s quite easy to tell with just a glance where their true interest lay. Oh, how he coveted to claim you as his own... Before anyone else beat him to it.”  
  
“Unfortunately for _‘His Majesty’_ …-” He straddled Prompto’s legs and unhooked the boy’s belt buckle. “-... There is nothing left in this world that brings me more _pleasure_ than stealing from the Lucis Caelum family lineage.” He pronounced Noctis’ last name with unadulterated disdain. “As it rightfully belongs to me, I see it only fitting that what the scions to the throne wants the most-- I _take._ ”  
  
“Nn… o...” Prompto shook his head frantically as Ardyn proceeded to undress him. He was shaking, tears prickled at his eyes as he begged the man to stop, to _don’t do this_ , and _please not like this_ . Little did he know that his pleas only stirred Ardyn’s arousal even more. He felt it press against his thigh.  
  
With a deceivingly gentle touch, Ardyn wiped a stray tear off Prompto’s cheek, and said with a sardonic grin: _“Long live the Chosen King.”_  
  
It was the last thing Prompto heard before the sedative claimed his cognizance.  
  
By the time he was stripped bare, Prompto no longer recognized where he was. And even less what he was doing there. His eyes glazed over and meandering as his head lolled from side to side.  
  
A shadow enveloped his thinner frame as the Chancellor hovered over him. He patted the boy’s cheek and smiled at the sincere confusion he received in response. Satisfied, he pressed a kiss to passive lips and then pulled out a bottle of oil from his night stand.  
  
The skin beneath his palms was sinfully soft and tender as he slid his hands down supple thighs, coming to rest at the hollow of Prompto’s knees. He pushed his legs far apart and settled in between the gap.  
  
His lubricated fingers were cold to the touch, and there was a sound akin to distress when Ardyn pushed one of them through the boy’s ring of muscles. But Prompto immediately went quiet again when Ardyn shushed him, much to the older man’s delight.  
  
“If only you were this compliant without the use of external substances. We could’ve been _such_ good friends,” he purred.  
  
He didn’t wait long to push in a second finger, eager to speed up the preparatory process. As he thrust his fingers in and out, gradually working Prompto open and ready for him, he kissed and sucked and nipped at the skin along the boy’s neck; leaving marks in places that would be burdensome to hide.  
  
Looking down, he was pleased to find that Prompto’s body reacted positively to his touch, despite his inebriated state. It was a very natural reaction to any kind of sexual stimulation, after all.  
  
Satisfied with his preparations, he freed himself from his pants’ confinement with a guttural groan; a sound that had been lying dormant somewhere deep down his throat since their arrival in Gralea together.  
  
He wasted little time lining himself up before he pushed himself inside, unrelenting. Prompto’s eyes flew open. A broken scream ripped through his throat. He flailed his arms and pawed at Ardyn’s arms and shoulders uselessly, trying to detach himself from the source of pain. His fingers entangled in russet curls and he pulled at the hair out of desperation, but all that accomplished was bringing the man even closer to him.  
  
Ardyn shushed against Prompto’s lips, and when that didn’t silence him, he covered his mouth with his and swallowed the noises with a kiss. Drinking the cries cascading from the boy’s lips thirstily.  
  
He allowed the boy a moment to adjust to his girth. Ardyn was too big, and Prompto too tight, not to hurt them both if he’d just start start thrusting without abandon. And he chose not to tear the boy apart like that.  
  
When Prompto quieted some, Ardyn took that as a cue to pull back out, just to ram back inside him again. Bringing the noises back full force, but this time Ardyn let them flow freely. Every gasp, every whine sounded like music to his ears. And he let them serve as the soundtrack as he pounded into him, over and over again. He hooked one of Prompto’s legs with his arm and raised it higher for better leverage. Setting a pace that was fast and hard and satisfying only for him. Gripping Prompto’s hips in a hold that was sure to bruise.  
  
Screw the astrals and their afterlife; with Prompto’s body wrapped around his cock, Ardyn was in heaven.  
  
Prompto’s breathing was labored through parted lips. His eyes fluttering, and his face flushed, giving the freckles on his cheek an even darker color. It seemed a sin not to capture something so gorgeous. Ardyn seized the opportunity to snap a picture, and mourned the fact that Prompto’s camera didn’t have a recording feature. Now there was a homevideo he would’ve simply _adored_ to share with the Prince.  
  
He switched angle and grazed a spot that caused Prompto to gasp and throw his head back. “No… c … t...” He moaned unevenly. The smug smile on Ardyn’s lips dipped a notch.  
  
“Yes, such a shame,” Ardyn scorned, uncharacteristically winded, “the Prince doesn’t know what he’s _missing_.” Emphasizing his own words with a couple of brutally hard thrusts that caused Prompto to whimper.  
  
Prompto panted faster and faster. His legs quivering. Helpless moans escaped past slackened lips every time Ardyn hit his prostate.  
  
Ardyn came with a muffled groan; Prompto screaming bloody murder as the man bit the junction between his neck and shoulder hard enough to leave a bloody red print of teeth in its wake. And then only the sound of heavy breathing remained.  
  
Satisfied and out of breath, he licked blood off the boy’s shoulder lazily as he recovered from his climax. He pulled back to scrutinize his work. Chuckling to himself when he saw the white trail of come painted on Prompto’s stomach. His chest rising and falling laboriously. Such a starved little thing. He hadn’t even touched him where it mattered.  
  
He rocked his flaccid length in and out of the boy, wondering if he would be terribly upset if he woke up the next morning with his cock still inside him.  
  
Despite the temptation, he pulled out and cleaned himself up with a tissue.  
  
He looked over the mess on Prompto as well, but decided he preferred it that way. Lifting the boy’s lethargic body just so he could grab the comforter underneath, he used it to cover them both. Wrapping his arms possessively around the boy, he pulled him into an embrace, and placed a kiss on the back of his neck-- taking note on how it made him shudder.  
  
And then he whispered huskily into his ear: “Sweet dreams, my love.”  
  



End file.
